Wirebound container lid



March 3, 1970 J. MGCREA 3,498,492

wmnnouma CONTAINER LID Filed Sept. 5. 1968 INvEm-on me Joseph .Mc Crea ATTORNE United States Patent Office 3,498,492 Patented Mar. 3, 1970 3,498,492 WIREBOUND CONTAINER LID Joseph McCrea, Rockaway, NJ., assignor to Stapling Machine Co., Rockaway, NJ., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 757,555 Int. Cl. B65d 43/00 U.S. Cl. 217-56 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wirebound container lid formed of a single sheet of foldable material with tabs at each end bent downwardly for insertion through slots in the lining material which is secured to the upper faces of the cleats on the top section of the container and bent downwardly to line the ends of the container, the tabs being received in the spaces between the lining material and the inner faces of the cleats, and being secured either by frictional or interference er1- gagement with the ends of the slots or by ears bent outwardly from the lower corners of the tabs to interlock with the lower faces of the cleats.

This invention relates to a lid for a wirebound container of the type in which the ends are closed by lining material stapled to the upper faces of the cleats on the top section of the container and folded downwardly adjacent to but slightly spaced from the inner faces of said cleats.

Such a container may be assembled, for example, from a blank of the type disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 762,261 filed Sept. 16, 1968, in which the top section includes a cleat at each end with a sheet of lining material extending therebetween and stapled to the upper faces thereof, said sheet being folded into the form of a collapsed Z, and being of such length that, when the container is assembled, it may be pressed downwardly to line the two ends and the bottom of the container.

The lid is provided at each end with tabs which may be folded downwardly and inserted through slots in the lining material and into the aforementioned space between the inner faces of the cleats and the lining material. The lid may be held in place by frictional or interference engagement between the edges of the tabs and the ends of the slots, or by ears which are bent outwardly from the lower corners of the tabs to interlock with the lower faces of the cleats. This provides a very simple and inexpensive lid which can be easily and quickly applied, but which is attractive, practical and durable.

In the drawing:

FIGURE l is a perspective view of an illustrative lid embodying certain features of the invention, in the process Of applying said lid to a wirebound container.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of FIGURE l.

FIGURE 3 is a vertical sectional view taken at the position indicated by the line 3 3 of FIGURE 2, but showing an alternative modification of the invention.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary isometric view of the upper central portion of an end of the container with the lid of FIGURE 3 in place and locked.

As may be seen in FIGURE l, the lid of the present invention comprises a sheet 10 of foldable material, such as corrugated fibreboard, of such length and width as t cover the top of the container, generally designated 12, with the edges of the lid substantially coincident with the sides and ends of the container.

Each end of the sheet 10 is provided with a projecting tab 14 which. as shown at the right-hand end of the sheet, is provided at either side with cuts 16 extending lengthwise into the sheet and terminating in circular holes 18.

A score line 20 extends between the two holes 18 parallel to the end of the sheet.

As shown at the left-hand end of the sheet in FIGURE 1, when the lid is to be mounted on the container 12, the tabs 14 are folded downwardly along the score lines 20. The tabs are then in position to be inserted through slots formed by notches 22 at the ends of the lining material 24 which is stapled to the upper faces of the cleats 26 at the top of the container and into the spaces between the inner faces of the cleats 26 and the lining material 24 at the ends of the container, as best shown in FIGURE 3.

The tabs 14 are preferably tapered, the width of their outer ends 14a being less than the length of the notches 22 and the width of their inner ends being at least as great as the length of the notches, so that they will frictionally engage the ends of the notches to resist removal of the lid from the container. Indeed. the width of the inner ends of the tabs 14 is preferably slightly greater than the length of the notches, so that during their insertion the tabs are resilienly compressed and, as the lid is fully pressed into final position, as shown in FIGURE 3, with the holes 18 at the inner corners of the tabs 14 coming opposite the ends of the notches 22, the edges 1411 of the tabs 14 will spring back beneath the edges of the lining material 24 to provide an interference lock against unintentional removal of the lid.

To provide still more positive locking action, the tabs 14 may be of such length as to extend a substantial distance below the lower faces 26a of the cleats 26 and, as shown in FIGURE 3, may be provided with horizontal cuts 14e terminating in circular holes 14d to form, at the lower corners of the tabs 14, ears 14e which may be bent outwardly beneath the lower face 26a of the cleat 26, as shown in FIGURE 4, to lock the lid in place on the container.

The lid is reinforced against stacking loads by engagement with the upper edge of a central, double-walled partition 28 within the container, as disclosed more fully in my aforementioned copending application. If such a partition is not present in the container, the lid may be stiffened by aps folded downwardly from its front and rear edges and received within the front and rear sides of the container, as disclosed in my copending application Ser. No. 757,554 filed Sept. 5, 1968.

I claim:

1. 0n a wirebound container of the type having a top section with cleats at each end and lining material secured to the upper faces of said cleats and folded to extend downwardly at a slight spacing from the inner faces of said cleats, to line the ends of said container, with slots in the portion of said lining material overlying such spacings, a lid comprising a sheet of foldable material of such size as substantially covering the top of said container and having at its opposite ends tabs which are folded downwardly and inserted through said slots into said spacings to locate said lid transversely on said container, with holding means on said tabs engaging said container to hold said lid thereon.

2. A lid as described in claim 1 in which said holding means comprises tapered edges on said tabs, whereby said tabs are narrower than said slots at their outer ends for easy insertion into said slots and at least as wide as said slots near their inner ends for frictional engagement with the ends of said slots to resist removal of said lid from said container.

3. A lid as claimed in claim 2 in which said tabs taper to a width slightly greater than the length of said slots and are provided with notches at their upper ends to interlock with the ends of said slots.

4. On a wirebound container of the type having a top section with cleats at each end and lining material secured to the upper faces of said cleats and folded to extend downwardly at a slight spacing from the inner faces of said cleats, to line the ends of said container, with slots in the portion of said lining material overlying such spacings, a lid comprising a sheet of foldable material substantially covering the top of said container and having at its opposite ends tabs which are folded downwardly and inserted through said slots into said spacing to locale said lid transversely on said container, said tabs extending below the lower faces of said cleats, and the front and rear edges of said tabs having horizontal cuts therein to provide at the lower corners of said tabs ears foldable outwardly to engage the lower faces of said cleats and lock said lid on said container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Overton 229-43 Gullo et al. 217-56 Grant 229-14 Argodale 229-14 Rahby 229-43 Fielding 229-39 U.S. C1. X.R. 

